Rocket Engine Pulled From the Ocean Definitely Belonged to Apollo 11

The serial number identifying the engines as coming from Apollo 11. Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center

On the eve of the 44th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon, a piece of their historic legacy has been ID’ed here on Earth. Billionaire Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has confirmed that the thrust chamber from the rocket engines he picked up from the ocean floor five months ago belonged to Apollo 11.

But with the engines warped and covered in rust, it was impossible to say precisely which of the Apollo missions they had come from. Bezos had always been aiming to find relics from Apollo 11 because he said the mission had inspired his passion in science and engineering as a child.

Bezos is thrilled with the news. On his blog, he wrote that “44 years ago tomorrow Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, and now we have recovered a critical technological marvel that made it all possible.”

Now that they have identified the important mission these parts came from, workers can continue their conservation efforts. In addition to getting them cleaned and ready for display, the Cosmosphere is scanning all components to build a 3-D CAD model. Once that is finished, the artifacts will be shown at museums around the U.S., though exactly which ones is yet to be determined.

The all-important 2044 serial number, which shows that this engine came from Apollo 11. Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center